Responsibility
by clawsandteeth
Summary: Robbie is mentally eight years old after an accident, and someone has to take responsibility. A story about ups and downs and doing what's good.
1. Chapter 1

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Contrary to popular belief, Jade West has a heart. A functioning heart and not one made of stone, and pumps acid instead of blood. She has a tendency to always need to repay someone, if they do something for her. She hates to owe anyone.

The girl also has a thing about taking responsibility for her actions, it's a must. That's what happened when a mistake of hers hurt a friend, she took full responsibility.

Early morning sunlight was filtered through the open blinds of the tiny apartment right as a young woman with soft brown hair entered, dressed in a brown work blouse and slacks. She balanced a bag of groceries in one hand, and a poster board in the other. "You better be up!" She called loudly closing the apartment's door behind her with her foot, before walking into the tiny kitchen putting her things on the round wooden table. "You have ten seconds to get out here and be fully dressed."

She began removing things from the grocery bags. "1…" She called out loudly. "…2" She opened a cabinet and depositing a box of Cinnamon Crunchy O's. "3, 4, 5…"

"Hey, that's cheating!" A voice called out followed closely by a pounding of feet and a door being yanked open. The young man appeared and spread his arms out. "I dressed myself!" He announced proudly.

Jade hummed softly and turned to look at him, she tapped her chin thoughtfully, taking in his correctly buttoned green shirt and dark jeans, which were unzipped. "Good job, Robbie." The girl says smiling at him lightly. "Zip up though."

He looks down and zips up his pants. "Sorry, I always forget." He announces sheepishly. His attention quickly moves from her to the open cabinet, catching sight of the cereal. He quickly bounces over to it and reaches for it, but his hand is smacked away. "That hurt…" He whined holding his hand and pouting at her.

"I'm cooking breakfast today." She motioned for him to take a seat at their table.

Childish excitement quickly appeared on his features and he bounded over to one of the chairs around the table. "French toast, right?" He grinned.

"Can I cook anything else?" Jade lightly asked removing things she needed from the fridge.

"Nope," Robbie answered unnecessarily.

A soft tired smile appeared on the girl's face as she turned on the oven. "I brought you poster board. Didn't you want that?" She glances at him. "What are you going to make."

The young man, with the mind of a child, smiled secretly. "You'll have to wait and see."

The girl rolled her eyes and continued her cooking. A few minutes later the girl laid a plate of French toast and a bottle of syrup in front of Robbie, and took a seat before him. She yawned tiredly, watching as Robbie began eating his meal.

He looked up at her and frowned. "Aren't you going to eat?" He asked his tone filled with concern.

Jade gently shook her head. "I'm too tired to eat." She had worked all night.

He looked very troubled by her admission but continued eating, glancing at her every few seconds. "Why do you take care of me?" He asked suddenly, making Jade wake from her near unconscious state.

Jade gave him an annoyed look. "Why are you asking that?"

"You aren't my mom… are we related at all?"

Jade tiredly runs a hand through her hair. It's been five years and he wants to ask all these questions now? "No we aren't related, Robbie."

"Then why do you take care of me?" He cocks his head to his left and gives her his confused look.

Jade gently presses her lips together. There were was a big reason, but not one the girl wanted to talk about at the moment – if ever. "We've been friends for a really long time," is her actual answer.

He looks like he accepts that answer because he continues eating with a shrug. Jade gently sighs. "Why did you ask?"

He looks up at her and scrunches his face up like he's contemplating telling her. Finally he admits, "Ms. Salvage," the woman who watches him when Jade works. "She told me that… you're too young and pretty to be tied down with re - responsibility like me." He looks a little upset. "I think she called me a turden."

"You mean burden?" Jade asked quietly. She would really have to have a conversation with Ms. Salvage.

"Yeah, that's the word." She frowns again and pushes his glasses up his nose. "Is that true?"

"Of course not," the girl answers quickly.

"Ms. Salvage lied?"

Jade nods simply. "Ms. Salvage is a liar." She realized she needed to find someone else to watch Robbie, "And an idiot."

The boy gasped. "That's not very nice."

"Am I nice?" Jade lightly pondered.

"Nope," Robbie grinned.

"Good that you are aware." The young woman rose to her feet and stretched. "I'm going to bed. Think you can be alright for a few hours?"

"I'm not a baby, Jade." He told her matter-of-factly.

Jade ruffled his curly head as she moved by him. "Of course you're not a baby."

Once in her bedroom Jade fished out her cell phone from her pocket and dialed a familiar number. It rang multiple times before any one actually picked up. "Mrs. Shapiro, it's Jade." She talked quietly and moved further into the room.

"_I'm very aware of who this is." _The woman on the other end replied impolitely.

Jade bit her lip, cooling her anger. She needed something from this woman and biting her head off would get her no place. "I was wondering… if maybe you guys could watch Robbie tonight."

A long silence later the woman spoke again. "_What happened to the woman you had watching him?"_

Jade mentally sighed. "She told him a few inappropriate things. I don't really trust her to watch him anymore."

"Well, I don't really have time…"

"It's only for one night!" The girl snapped. She couldn't understand why they refused to watch their own son.

"That's what you said last time." Mrs. Shapiro snapped back. "Look Jade, if you cannot handle the consequences for what _you_ caused, the offer still stands to send him to a home. We'll only make you pay half."

"I can handle it. I've been doing just fine," the girl hissed into her phone. "Why did I even call you?" She quickly hung up and flung her phone across the room and collapsed on her bed. She in frustration, pounded her fist into her pillow, and screamed into another.

"Jade?" A quiet, hesitant voice came through her door. "Are you alright?"

Jade quickly wiped the hot tears racing down her cheeks, as her door was opened.

"I'm fine, Robbie." The girl lightly glared at him through her tears. "Remember when I told you to never come into my room unless given permission."

The boy pouted. "I'm not in your room."

"You're in my door."

"Difference," he replied smartly crossing his arms.

Jade couldn't help genuinely smiling briefly, and then she glared harder. "Get out of my room."

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	2. Chapter 2

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She had no other choice but to leave Ms. Salvage to watch Robbie, but first the young woman gave the older woman who lived across from them a 'stern' talk about what can and cannot be mentioned around Robbie.

After feeling like the woman had been threatened enough Jade went to her job at the airport. Her job mostly consisted of cleaning up junk people left behind – glamorous.

It was an uneventful night of cleaning and when the morning hours began to roll around she was happy, even though people began filing into the airport at those hours. Making recently cleaned areas, filthy again, to her disdain.

She was on her way to clocking out when she felt a hand tap her on her shoulder, thinking it was passenger, the girl forced a smile on her face before turning around. Her smile faltered, when her eyes landed on a familiar face.

His smile hadn't faltered; in fact he beamed at her even more. "You look tired." He greets.

Jade blinks, taking the young man in before her with her eyes, he looked over all like he had four years ago. His hair was a lot longer than it had been back then though, "Hi Beck." College hadn't really changed him much.

The young man smiles his easy smile, and shoulders his bag on his shoulder. "That's all I get? No hugs, no overly excited 'Hi Beck, how are you?"

The corner of Jade's lips turns up slightly. "I think you're thinking of your red haired friend's reaction."

He nods and shrugs, his smile not wavering. His eyes sweep across her uniform, "You work here?"

Jade resists the need to role her eyes and say something sarcastic, her patience with others has grown over the years. "Unfortunately…" is her response. "I can talk more when I clock out. I'll be right back."

"I'll be waiting."

Jade gives him a sarcastic smile, "_great_." _MI_

Robbie appeared before her as soon as she opened their door, Poster board in hand and smiling wildly. "Welcome home!" He beams at her. His smile fades when he notices the male behind her, and he gets shy backing up for they both can enter the apartment.

Jade removes her hair from its bun, "You remember Beck don't you?" She asks him motioning towards Beck and closing her door behind them.

Robbie moves his eyes between them, not even opening his mouth.

"What's with that face?" Jade questioned crossing her arms over herself.

"You remember me right, Robbie?" Beck asked kindly, smiling softly at his old friend.

Robbie's eyes squinted. "No." He quickly deadpans.

Jade gave him a look and poked his forehead with her finger. "Yes you do."

"No I don't." Robbie actually glares at Beck. "I don't remember him. Why is he here anyway?"

Jade looks amused and Beck looks a taken back. "He's my friend and I invited him over, and for some reason he wanted to see you."

"Oh," Robbie replies simply and turns around taking his folded poster with him.

"Wait, are you going to give me that?" Jade questioned lightly.

"No!" The boy quickly said. "I'm not finished with it yet." He quickly vanished into his room.

The young woman shrugged. "Mrs. Salvage came over and checked on you right?" She calls after him. No answer comes and she rolls her eyes, and turns to look at Beck. "You want coffee?"

"Yeah sure," he follows her into the tiny kitchen and scratches the back of his neck. "I don't think he likes me."

Jade lightly snorted. "Was it that obvious?" She fumbled with her coffee maker. "He's really shy and the last time we even saw you was four years ago."

Beck takes a seat looking around. "Well that makes sense." He laughed.

"Did you eat breakfast?" Jade yells loudly, obviously not talking to Beck. She gets no answer. "He's seriously ignoring me." The girl mumbles under her breath.

"Cat and Tori are coming back tomorrow and Andre this weekend." Beck tells her randomly.

"Oh," She mumbles softly. She hadn't talked to any of the old Hollywood Arts clan in years – too busy. "What are you going to do now, Beckett? What is your after college M.O?" She turns to face him leaning against the counter, as the coffee machine made its sputtering sounds.

Beck frowns at her for some reason, and she frowns back as a result. "I have a few auditions lined up." He finally says just as she was about to ask what his problem was.

"For movies?" she asked with the normal level of interest.

He nods looking at her intently. "Didn't you want to direct movies?"

Jade bit her bottom lip annoyed at his random question. She had an idea what he was getting at – the exact conversation had happened four years ago when she had revealed she would be taking care of Robbie.

"We are not having this conversation when he's in the other room." Jade whispered harshly.

"I'm only saying…" Beck trailed when she glared at him.

"Maybe you should take your coffee to go." She turned her back to him.

"No, I'm sorry." Beck quickly said. "I'm only worried about you."

"Well, don't be!"

Beck nods. "I won't," he actually smiles. "I missed you, Jade." He laughs and Jade rolls her eyes.

_CL_

It's her day off so she has every intention of staying in bed all day, but of course a certain person jumping on her bed would make that impossible.

"Are you in my room again?" Jade questioned dangerously without opening her eyes. The man child pinches her nose making her spring upwards and smacks his hand away from her nose. The girl glares at the grinning man.

He then pulls his poster board from behind his back and hand it to her.

Jade yanks it unkindly from his hands and unfolds it. The top reads 'I love you, Jade' in multi-colored marker, the bottom had a very good drawing of her. She hummed softly, tapping her chin. "You colored outside of the lines." She looks up at him, finding him frowning. She gently smiles. "It's really good Robbie. I really like it." He beams.

She gets off the bed, laying her present on beside her, and gives him a kiss on his cheek, making him turn a deep red. She continues on her way to the bathroom, realizing she would have to do something today.

"What are we gonna do today?" He asks her from the other side of the room's door.

"I planned on sleeping." She tells him honestly.

"Boring…" he moans dramatically.

Jade exits the bathroom, fully dressed just as her cell phone rings. She ruffles Robbie's hair on her way to answering it. "Go wash up and dress. I guess we can go out for breakfast…"

The young man woops and runs out of the room.

"Beck," Jade answers the cell after reading her phone.

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